


Envy

by AllegroCrescendo



Series: Fast Times at Angeles High [6]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: AP Classes, Alternate Universe - High School, Disney Movies, F/M, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Jealous Victor Nikiforov, Look out for those hidden figure skaters, M/M, Minor Character Death, Musicians, Oblivious Katsuki Yuuri, Sadness kinda, Skateboarding, When will my ability to tag come home from war
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-17
Updated: 2017-06-17
Packaged: 2018-11-15 09:36:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11228259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllegroCrescendo/pseuds/AllegroCrescendo
Summary: When someone new comes into Yuuri's life, it leaves Viktor fuming.__________“Now. I simply set the seating chart to randomize and selected your partner based on who sat next to you.” Mr. Cialdini explained as he produced a sheet of paper from his podium. He began to read off names and Viktor prayed to whatever god was up there that he was paired with Yuuri.“Yuuri Katsuki and Stephane Byrne researching Wilson’s policy”Fuck.Yuuri looked over to look at Viktor and smiled sympathetically at him. “I can still help you on yours.”Viktor strained a smile and nodded.





	Envy

**Author's Note:**

> There's some minor Russian usage that might not be correct. 
> 
> Also, I found a hotpot place nearby and that's what inspired Guang-Hong's parents owning their own hot pot place. Like I keep saying, a lot of this is inspired by my real life experiences.
> 
> I can't think of anything else except meditation is a good technique to help center and calm yourself and your anxiety.

Viktor and Yuuri were walking together to Government one fine November morning. Viktor had been working up the nerve to hold hands with Yuuri ever since they had hung out at Viktor’s. While progress was slow, two weeks slow, Viktor had hopes. Yuuri hadn’t protested when Viktor snuggled into his side when they accompanied Leo to watch Guang-Hong in the school’s production of _Hamilton_. Was it possible that Yuuri reciprocated his feelings? God, he hoped so. He already started mentally formulating plans for asking Yuuri to be his boyfriend that ranged from skywriting to ones that involved some of Yuuri’s favorite band members. Whatever he chose, he had 72 to choose from. 

Yuuri had been going on about the new grip he got on his board as well as a skateboard he saw at the mall he wanted to save his money up for. Viktor always thought of him as an unconventional skater and it was amusing. His whole skateboarding group, in fact, didn’t fit in with the skating crowds. Sure they looked the part. Hawaiian shirts, polos, and khakis all around. Sure they skated the part. And sure they listened to the music. But other than that, they were a bunch of dorky nerds who cared greatly about school and all. 

“And I think if I save up enough money, I could buy those new wheels I’ve been wanting too!” Yuuri chirped, talking animatedly with his hands. 

“Or…” Viktor sang and bumped Yuuri’s shoulder with his own. “You could let me buy it all for you.”

“Viktor,” Yuuri’s tone was warning and the Russian sighed. It just didn’t make sense to him. Viktor could easily afford everything Yuuri wanted and still have money left over. Money was just another object to him. Seeing Yuuri smile? Now that had immense to worth to him. He would kill a man if it meant Yuuri would smile forever.

“I’m just sayin’!” Viktor held his hands up. The two entered the history building, Viktor holding the door open for Yuuri and then Yuuri returning the favor when they reached their Government classroom. They plopped down at their desk at the very front and continued to bicker over the issue. It wasn’t until Mr. Cialdini stepped in front of their desk did they realize the entire class had been listening to their bickering. Some called them a married couple as Yuuri groaned and slid down further in his seat. 

“Alright class, today we’ll be doing a project on President’s Foreign policies. You’ll all be working in pairs-” Mr. Cialdini paused when excited murmuring began and he yelled, holding his hand up, “ _I’ll_ be picking the partners!” 

“Aww, c’mon!” Guadalupe, a desk or two away from Yuuri and Viktor cried. “That’s totes unfair! Some of us don’t like everyone in here!” 

Mr. Cialdini lowered his glasses to give her a look, “In the real world, you work with people you don’t like. Also, I don’t think Princeton would appreciate your unwilling attitude.” The Italian man quipped, drawing a chorus of “Oohs” from the students. Guadalupe, who applied to the Ivy League school, only ducked her head in embarrassment.

“Now. I simply set the seating chart to randomize and selected your partner based on who sat next to you.” Mr. Cialdini explained as he produced a sheet of paper from his podium. He began to read off names and Viktor prayed to whatever god was up there that he was paired with Yuuri.

“Yuuri Katsuki and Stephane Byrne researching Wilson’s policy”

Fuck. 

Yuuri looked over to look at Viktor and smiled sympathetically at him. “I can still help you on yours.” 

Viktor strained a smile and nodded. He ended up with a girl named Emily Sihotang. She was a pretty Indonesian girl who occasionally nodded hello to Viktor but otherwise had a permanent scowl. They would be doing Ronald Reagan's policy and Viktor could not have been any less excited. He spoke too damn soon because Mr. Cialdini made them go sit with their partner for the next week and a half. Viktor watched as Yuuri stood and went to sit with Stephane across the room. Meanwhile, Emily set her massive binder down on the desk and slid into the seat, flattening her skirt. 

“Okay, listen here. I know Government isn’t your best subject,” Emily began.

“What-” Viktor was mildly offended. He was getting better at the subject, alright?

Emily rolled her eyes, “I work as a TA in the office. I looked up this class. You know how Cialdini posts the scores with ID numbers at the back of the classroom? I made sure to look up everyone. I have to know my competition.” She explained and unzipped her pencil pouch, producing a single black pen, “You have a B minus in the class. That doesn’t fly with me, Nikiforov.”

Viktor was intimidated, to say the least. But he was also extremely offended. “What’s your point?”

“I’ll do the work,” Emily simply said. “But you present. I hate talking in front of crowds.” 

Viktor snorted indignantly, “Do you think I can’t handle a simple project? I know some things.” 

“Oh yeah? Like what?” Emily asked with an accusatory tone and a raised brow.

Viktor sat in thought for a while and swallowed thickly. He knew something about Reagan. Not only did his parents live through the era, his father had shown him a song about it. “Regan...he...he didn’t like Soviets.”

Emily folded her hands neatly on the desk and looked at Viktor expectantly. “And?” 

“Regan wanted to stop the Soviets at all costs. So he was doing all sorts of weird things and...and I think he was inching us closer to war.”

“And how do you know all of this? What are your sources?” Emily asked. 

“It’s a song. The Dead Kennedy’s wrote it.” Viktor said and Emily looked at him funny. Suddenly, Viktor was getting defensive. He was about to say something else when a loud, clear laugh filled the room. He whipped his head around to the source of the laughter and wanted to cry almost instantly. 

Yuuri covered his mouth with his face flushed in embarrassment from his sudden outburst. He stared at Stephane, who leaned his head on his palm and gave Yuuri a dazzling smile. Viktor wouldn’t lie. Stephane was good looking. The hair. The eyes. The perfect tan. And damn those teeth were perfectly straight and pearly white. Viktor was certain that Stephane and his teeth only had one thing in common and it wasn’t the straight part.

A rotting flower of envy bloomed in Viktor’s chest as he watched Yuuri nod shyly at Stephane. Hell no! He was the only one allowed to make Yuuri blush and laugh like that. Who the hell did Stephane think he was? The boy took Yuuri’s hand in his own and said something that made Yuuri’s blush deepen and smile at him. Viktor strained to hear their conversation but they were just too far away and Viktor cursed himself. He was a musician, damn it! His hearing should be acute. 

“Earth to lover boy. Focus!” Emily snapped in front of his face and Viktor shifted his attention back to his party. 

“What?” Viktor snapped, catching the girl by surprise. Her strong attitude subsided and she turned to her notebook. 

“Tell me more about that song...it might be useful. Mr. Cialdini will give us bonus points for historical contextualization.” Emily mumbled. Viktor felt guilty for lashing out at her but nodded and continued to tell her about the song.

__________

_Message From: Yuuri <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3_

> I’d really hate to rain check on you, Viktor, but Stephane insisted that I go try the new fro-yo place with him today and wouldn’t take no for an answer.

_Message From: Yuuri <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3_

> You’re not mad, are you?

_Message From: Chris GiASSmetti_

> **screenshot.112317.snapchat.img** From a friend’s story?!?!?!?! Yogurt date?????

_Message From: Yuuri <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3_

> Viktor :( 

Viktor groaned and flopped back onto his bed, letting his phone land on his chest with a painful slap. He stared at the same four messages for the last two hours but replied to none of them. He was hurt. He was petty. How could Yuuri do him so dirty? They had planned to go watch the new superhero movie today in theaters and that stupid Frenchie with the stupid chocolate hairdo was stealing his man away! To make matters worse, Stephane was posting Yuuri on his Snapchat as if he were with him in _that way_.

He turned onto his side and stared at the wall in front of him. He looked at the pictures carefully and felt a bitter taste bleed into his mouth. The pictures were the ones he looked at constantly. His cousins, friends, family, yes, he could recognize them all and could redraw them all by memory. But they were tainted now because Yuuri had looked at them and now Yuuri had chosen a stupid French boy who wore crocs on Sundays over Viktor. Was he being overdramatic? Probably. But he didn’t care. He only cared about Yuuri!

While wallowing in his self-pity, a knock at his door drew his attention. He sat upright and stared at the door. Last he checked, he was completely home alone. His father was in the studio and none of his cousins had said they were going to come visit him. Could it have been…? 

“Vitya?” His father’s voice called through his closed door and his breath caught in his throat. “Can I come in?”

“Yes, come in, dad,” Viktor sat up. His father came in a few minutes later. He was still dressed in his casual work attire of a button up shirt tucked into his jeans and a pair of Doc Martens. “I thought you were at work.”

“The band I was working with today bailed on me. Their manager’s wife went into labor.” His father explained and sat on the edge of his bed. “So I slapped them with a thousand dollar cancellation fee and left. I wasn’t going to work hard if they weren’t.”

“Makes sense,” Viktor nodded. Dmitry was silent for a moment and Viktor realized he had been staring at the record of Dmitri Shostakovich’s works on his record player. Viktor hadn’t played a different record since Yuuri had come over. “Uh, I was listening to the Waltz the other day.”

His father nodded, getting that sad look in his eye. “Let’s do something today, Vitya. You can choose.”

“Let’s go visit mom. Can we?” Viktor asked, without skipping a beat. 

“Sure,” his father nodded, “I haven’t given her flowers in a while. If she could, I’m certain she would beat me up for it and then make _me_ feel guilty about it.” 

Viktor laughed, remembering his mother’s antics. She was always pushy with what she wanted and drove her father to the edge. He could only vividly remember one time when his father was truly upset at his mother and Lyudmila sincerely apologized. The two made up and kissed. Viktor at the time thought it was disgusting. Now, he realizes what a pure and strong love his parents had together. 

“Actually, I know a good flower place. Let me change into different clothes and we can go.” Viktor said, smiling. 

Dmitry stood and motioned towards the door, “I’ll be in the car then, alright?” 

Viktor nodded and waited for his father to close the door before he stood and hurried to get ready. Ever since the death of his mother, his father had become distant and threw himself into his work, leaving Viktor alone for days at a time. The fact that Viktor had come out as gay didn’t make their situation any better. Over time, and after scolding from his family, Dmitry came around and tried to be a better father. Viktor was glad that his father actually tried to spend time with him. 

He was quick to throw on any pair of light blue jeans, a black V-neck and his old pair of shoes. He didn’t care much for his appearance right now. He only ran his fingers through his hair until it fell the way he liked and grabbed his windbreaker on the way out. 

He slid into the front seat of his father’s Cadillac and nestled himself comfortably once he buckled himself in. “The flower shop is on Central in a small strip mall.” 

His father nodded and pulled out the driveway. Nowadays, he looked much older than usual. It didn’t help that his father had natural silver hair, much like Viktor's. Stress lines made themselves at home on his forehead and underneath his eyes while his eyes always looked tired. His aunt Evgenia always mentioned how Viktor looked much Dmitry did when he was younger, from the blue of his eyes to the way his hair parted. 

“How do you know about this shop?” His father asked. His eyes were locked ahead on the road. Classic Rock music played at a low volume from the radio.

“Uh, my friend’s mom works there,” Viktor answered. He still felt betrayed that Yuuri chose Stephane over him, but he would cry over it later.

“Friend?” His dad teased, “I thought your only friend was Chris.”

“Chris is great and all, but it’s healthy to have other friends,” Viktor huffed. “I met him this August like, a week or two after school started. He’s in my AP Government class.”

Dmitry’s brows furrowed, “AP Government? You didn’t tell me you were taking the class.”

Viktor shifted uncomfortably. Somehow, he didn’t feel all too confident talking to his father about Yuuri. “I decided to join the class two weeks into the school year.”

Dmitry nodded and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of the song. Viktor found himself tapping the off-beats in time with his father. Music was the one way he and his father could always understand each other. The older man followed his son’s directions to the flower shop.

Viktor stepped into the shop and perked instantly at the sight of the plump woman behind the counter. He heard the bell jingle behind him once his father entered. “Hiroko, hi!” He waved.

“Viktor,” the woman came around the counter to give him a hug. “What a surprise! What brings you here?”

“I came to buy flowers for my mom. My dad and I are going to visit her at the cemetery today.” Viktor explained. He saw the way sympathy and sadness filled Hiroko’s large, warm eyes. God, they reminded him a lot of Yuuri’s. 

She took his hands into her owns. “I’m so sorry, Viktor. I didn’t know.” Hiroko murmured softly to him. 

“It’s fine,” Viktor reassured her. He turned and motioned to his father, who watched the small Japanese women curiously. “Hiroko, this is my dad: Dmitry Nikiforov. Dad, this is my friend Yuuri’s mom, Katsuki Hiroko.” 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Dmitry extended his arm to shake Hiroko’s hand. Hiroko laughed brightly.

“Please, the pleasure is all mine. I see where Viktor gets his looks from.” Hiroko smiled and pinched Viktor’s cheek.

“Oh no, not me,” Dmitry shook his head, “My wife was quite the flower. Er, no pun intended.”

Hiroko laughed brightly and turned, “Well, how about I fix you two up with some Chrysanthemums?” She motioned to a pre-made arrangement. “We got a fresh shipment yesterday.”

“That’ll be lovely. Can I pay with cash or card?” Dmitry asked, pulling out his wallet. 

“Oh, no, no!” Hiroko asked, waving her hands, “Consider it a gift. To repay Viktor’s kindness to my Yuuri.”

“What?” Dmitry asked, turning to look at his son who only shrugged. When his father turned back to the shorter woman, Viktor’s eyes gleamed with appreciation towards the woman and he mouthed ‘thank you’ to her. 

Hiroko giggled, “Plain or patterned wrap?”

__________

Viktor walked up the small hill to where his mother’s grave was. The chrysanthemums were held tightly in his hands and his father trailed behind him. He knew that his father was still not over the death of his mother and grieved often. Viktor silently wondered if he was over the death of his mother. Did that make him a bad son? Shaking all negative thoughts from his head, Viktor continued to his mother’s gravestone underneath a tree.

Viktor arrived at the all too familiar polished granite gravestone. He knelt in front of it and waited for his father to arrive, always allowing him to be the first to greet his mother. Viktor stared at the stone and let his eyes fall over it’s carvings. A picture of his mother was at the top center of the tombstone. Her smile was radiant and her dark hair was gathered and thrown over her shoulder. Underneath read her inscription:

**Lyudmila Peytorva Nikiforova**

**April 14th, 1970- September 22nd, 2007**

**Loving daughter, sister, wife, and mother**

**Всяк глядит, да не всяк видит**

**_Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it_ **

Viktor scooted over to give his father room when he knelt down next to him. Dmitry leaned in and placed a kiss onto the cool marble stone, letting it linger before he pulled away and softly. “привет, Lyudmila. It’s been a while, hasn’t it,” Dmitry smiled and stroked the picture of his wife with his finger. “Our darling son is here too,” He whispered to the stone, kissing it once more before moving so Viktor could greet his mother.

“Hi, mom,” Viktor greeted, setting the bouquet of Chrysanthemums down. “It’s been awhile, mom. So much has been going on.”

Viktor sat cross-legged at his mom’s grave and looked at the picture of his mother. His breath hitched slightly, “I miss you, mom. I need you.” 

Viktor fought away tears as his father put a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Vitya, what’s the matter? You never get this emotional at your mother’s grave.”

Viktor turned and looked at his father. His words caught in his throat as he stared at the floor. He eventually found his voice and fought to speak. His father was never one to show many emotions, but he was willing to listen, and that was all Viktor needed. “I-I'm so lost. Dad, when you were jealous, what would you do?”

Dmitry was taken by surprise at the question. He turned to look at Lyudmila’s grave and was silent. For a long while. “Your mother was devastatingly beautiful. She had these, bright, beautiful blue eyes. Whenever I looked into them, I thought I would drown in the color,” Dmitry smiled fondly at his wife’s picture. 

“And her hair was dark, so it really contrasted with her skin and her eyes. But that’s not why I fell in love with her,” Dmitry said.

“You fell in love with her because she was kind-hearted and could make you laugh.” Viktor supplied, as he had heard these lines countless of times.

His father nodded, “Naturally, everyone was attracted to her. All the men flirted with her and your mother, being oblivious as ever, thought they were being nice. She would get upset with me when I’d get upset over these men flirting with her,” Dmitry laughed. 

“So what would you do then?” Viktor pressed.

“Well,” his father sighed and gripped the edge of his mother’s gravestone. “I learned that you sometimes simply have to communicate. I told her how I felt and she understood. Rather, she cried because she felt awful, and then we hugged it out. She reassured me that I was the only one she ever wanted.”

“I can’t imagine how strong that love must have been,” Viktor admitted, staring at Dmitry’s wedding band.

“She was the light of my life,” Dmitry murmured. “And she gave me you.”

Viktor felt his heart stop as he looked up at his father, tearing up slightly. Never had he ever said something so fond towards him. He pressed his lips together and nodded.

Dmitry made the sign of the cross and clasped his hands together. He lowered his head for a prayer and silence fell over the two. Viktor looked back to his mother’s gravestone and lowered his head. He prayed to his mother to give him guidance through his relationship with Yuuri and the newfound jealous feelings he experienced when Yuuri and Stephane hung out. He realized that he wasn’t dating Yuuri quite yet and so he probably had no right to feel jealous over who Yuuri hung out with However, he still wished he could communicate his feelings to Yuuri properly.

He looked up just as his father crossed himself again and stood from his mother’s grave. “How about we go have some lunch?”

Viktor looked up at his father and nodded. An idea suddenly crossed his mind and he grinned.

“How do you feel about hot pot?”

__________

“What’s the matter, Yuuri? You’ve been staring at your phone this entire time.” Stephane pouted. “Is the frozen yogurt not good?”

“N-no! It’s great!” Yuuri reassured the boy sitting in front of him. He took another spoonful of his yogurt for good measure.

“Then why do you look so uncomfortable and worried?” Stephane asked and reached over to pluck Yuuri’s phone from his grip. 

“Hey! Give it back!” Yuuri grabbed at it but Stephane only scooted his chair back and thumbed through the messages. He raised a brow at several of them, which included kissy-faced emojis and hearts. He then saw that Viktor hadn’t replied to Yuuri’s last pleading messages.

“Are you dating Viktor?” Stephane looked up at him. 

“What? N-no!” Yuuri’s cheeks dusted with a bright red color. He snatched his phone back from Stephane when the other was too distracted looking at him interestedly. 

“Those messages say otherwise. Heart emojis, kissy faces, selfies and texting into the late hours of the night?” Stephan glanced up at Yuuri. “You’re seriously not dating?”

“No,” Yuuri sighed and looked down at the table. “I don’t even know how he feels. My friends all say that he’s a major womanizer, er...and a manizer?” 

Stephane leaned back in his chair and held his hand out for Yuuri’s phone. “May I?” 

Yuuri looked at him skeptically, “What are you going to do?” 

“I just want to read messages,” Stephane said earnestly and Yuuri reluctantly handed his phone over to him. 

Stephane rested his chin on the palm of his hand and began to read through their messages. He laid the phone flat on the table, pushing his cup of yogurt to the side, and scrolled up with his index finger. His face remained neutral, only his eyes moving to read the messages as he scrolled.

“Interesting,” Stephane hummed and pointed at certain messages. “This message says ‘Goodnight, _my_ Yuuri.’ _My_ Yuuri. That was just last night and all of a sudden, he doesn’t reply to your texts? Suspicious~” The teen sang. 

“That...that doesn’t mean anything,” Yuuri blushed and looked away. Stephane scoffed.

“Please. Viktor is jealous that we’re hanging out. Two men, one gay and the other pansexual,” Stephane gaged Yuuri’s reaction, satisfied when Yuuri’s eyes widened at the word ‘gay’. “If he were a playboy, he wouldn’t care. He’d move on to another person. His feelings for you are crystal clear. You’re either oblivious or in denial. Which would explain why you wouldn’t respond to my flirting these last couple of days,” Stephane lamented. 

“You’ve been flirting with me?!” Yuuri squeaked and Stephane rolled his eyes. 

“Of course. I see now, though. You’re head over heels for Viktor Nikiforov and totally oblivious to all flirting directed towards you,” Stephane sighed.

“I...what? No, Viktor is a total playboy. Why would he want me?” Yuuri said, tugging nervously at the hem of his flannel.

“Even the most salacious of men are satiated by the divine,” Stephane hummed. He crossed his legs and picked up his frozen yogurt.

“What does that mean?” Yuuri asked tentatively.

Stephane smiled with a twinkle in his eyes. “I think you’ve got Viktor on his knees.”

__________

“Hot pot? Have you tasted this place before?” Dmitry asked, adjusting the cuff of his sleeves.

“Once before. My friend’s parents own this place.” Viktor explained, holding the restaurant door open for his dad. “He’s had so much of it, he’s actually come to dislike it,” the teen laughed at Guang-Hong’s reason.

Dmitry raised a brow, clearly interested. “You seem to have an abundance of friends lately. I used to only hear about Chris and JJ before.”

Viktor bit his tongue and shrugged. “Senior year. Things change.”

“Viktor, hi!” Guang-Hong raced over, tying a black apron around his waist. “Welcome to Shanghai Hot Pot! Table for two?”

Viktor smiled and nodded, “Yeah. Dad, this is my new friend-”

“Awfully young, aren’t you?” Dmitry cut Viktor off and eyeballed Guang-Hong.

Guang-Hong shrunk away, “Uh, yeah. I-I’m only 15. I’m a freshman.” He shook his head and stood taller, “This way. I’ll seat you two at a booth.”

Viktor was annoyed that his father was quick to judge his friend. He made a mental note to apologize to Guang-Hong later on for his father’s behavior. Guang-Hong led the duo over to the booth and handed them menu. Viktor opened his up and stopped to stare at his father when he didn’t do the same.

“The menu is in English, sir,” Guang-Hong pointed to the red-bordered brochure. “I think we may have a Russian one…” 

Dmitry slowly looked up at Guang-Hong, lips pursed. “I speak and read English just fine, boy.”

Guang-Hong stared at Dmitry for a second before forcing a smile. “Right...sorry. Okay. So what can I dish up for you guys today?”

Dmitry pushed his menu away and looked up at Guang-Hong. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table, clasping his hands. “What would you recommend?”

Viktor cursed internally. He knew that mentioning that Guang-Hong was not a fan of hot pot was probably a bad idea. His dad always wanted to test the restaurant down to the cleanliness of every napkin.

“Well,” Guang-Hong said with a smile, “We specialize in seafood. All of our seafood is amazing. I can recommend to you our Shanghai crab, our shrimp, squid, and our clams. We are having a special on the fish balls,” Guang-Hong bit his lip and fought off a smile. “That was on the menu.”

Dmitry nodded and handed the menu back to Guang-Hong, “Bring us whatever you’d recommend.” 

Guang-Hong nodded and pointed to the menu. “Those are complimentary. It has your zodiac on the back. I’ll be right back with your broth!” Without a second to waste, Guang-Hong turned on his heel and headed towards the kitchen, speaking in loud and insistent Mandarin. 

“Papochka, that wasn’t cool,” Viktor sighed and sat back. “Guang-Hong is very sweet.”

“So that wasn’t Yuuri?” Dmitry asked with a brow raised.

“I’m just gonna pretend that wasn’t racist,” Viktor rolled his eyes. 

“Viktor. You know I usually give you your privacy,” Dmitry began as he took a napkin and unfolded it on his lap. “But I read your messages while you didn’t know-”

“You mean you looked over my shoulder and invaded my privacy?” Viktor asked incredulously. 

“You’ve been texting this Yuuri person an awful lot,” Dmitry continued, ignoring Viktor’s outburst.

Viktor’s heart began to beat wildly in his chest as he stared at his father. Underneath the table, his hand clenched the fabric of his jeans tightly. “I care for him,” Viktor borderline growled.

“I know,” Dmitry said. “I can never understand what made you gay.” Daggers pierced Viktor’s heart when he processed his father’s words and his heart sunk to his stomach. _Aren’t you over this, father?_

“But I will accept you. And whomever you choose to love. I just require meeting this Yuuri person. Soon.” Dmitry looked at Viktor with a steely gaze and Viktor mustered the courage to match it. 

“Fine,” Viktor resigned. 

“And for drinks, I have one honeydew smoothie with boba and some green tea,” Guang-Hong announced. He plucked the honeydew smoothie from his tray and set it in front of Viktor before he put the tray down altogether. He took a large pot off his tray and set it on top of a heater in the center of the table. He then turned on the heater and added some spices to the pot.

“I’ll be right back with your tea, Mr. Nikiforov,” Guang-Hong said with a smile.

“Please, call me Dmitry,” he replied, “And actually, I’ll have one of those,” Dmitry said, pointing at Viktor’s honeydew smoothie.

__________

_He loves me._

_He loves me._

_He loves me, he loves me, he loves me, he loves me, he loves me, he loves me, he loves me, he loves me, he loves me, he loves me, he loves me, he loves me, he loves me, he **loves** me. _

Maybe love was too strong of a word. Yuuri had never experienced romantic love before so he wasn’t sure if this was it, but something in his mind told him that perhaps, this was love. He did his best to will his anxiety away, trying some of the self-compassion exercises Celestino had recommended to him. If he wanted to pursue a relationship with Viktor, he needed to focus on getting himself into better shape both physically and mentally because he wouldn’t rely on Viktor to be his fixer upper. He would have to be strong and able to stand on his own. So first, he focused on his mental health.

And that’s how he and Phichit ended up on Yuuri’s bedroom floor with incense burning and in a full-lotus position. Phichit’s gaze was locked on the wall ahead and yet his eyes were far away. He seemed more at peace and content that Yuuri did, who fidgeted uncomfortably. 

“You’re never going to get much leveling in like that,” Phichit giggled and relaxed his position. “So meditation is obviously not gonna help you right now. So let’s just talk it out.”

“Phichit,” Yuuri whined. He leaned back on his bed but kept his legs folded with his feet pressed against his thighs. 

“You’ve never asked me to meditate before. What’s up?” Phichit asked, picking the lint off of his pastel yellow polo shirt.

Yuuri sighed and leaned against his best friend. Phichit instinctively wrapped his arm around his shoulder. “Jesus, I can feel your tension in your shoulders. Let it all out.”

“I-I was supposed to hang out with Viktor yesterday but Stephane insisted I go try a frozen yogurt place with him” Yuuri began, “I didn’t know it was a date. And while were there, Stephane was fussy because I kept checking my phone. And one thing led to the other and he basically told me that Viktor is crushing on me.”

“Water is wet,” Phichit said.

“Huh?” Yuuri looked up at him and Phichit only grinned and shrugged.

“I thought we were stating the obvious.”

“Phichit, I’m being serious!” Yuuri cried and moved away from his friend.

“Hey! So am I!” The Thai boy defended himself. “Anyone can see the love oozing off the boy from a mile away. Haven’t you noticed that while you were paying attention to Stephane this last week, Viktor has been moody?”

Yuuri gaped at Phichit. “B-But...But it’s not like that...I-I...we...no…” he trailed off.

“I know. You only have eyes for Viktor. All four,” Phichit teased, nudging the bridge of his best friend’s blue-rimmed glasses with his finger. “But it still made him feel bad. Ever since you guys met back in August, you’ve given Viktor so much attention. That’s 4 months of attention from you suddenly ripped away in a day’s time by some cute and intelligent French boy who is about as straight as his hair.”

“He has curly hair,” Yuuri’s face burned.

“Exactly! So obviously Viktor is feeling threatened and jealous!” Phichit exclaimed and took Yuuri’s phone. “O-M-G, his last text to you was a goodnight text. And he didn’t send any emojis. He even punctuated goodnight!” Phichit tsked and shook his head. “Katsuki Yuuri, you better show this boy he’s the apple of your eye.”

“I-I...what do I do?” Yuuri asked.

“Well. Sun’s still out and you’ve got energy. Go over.” Phichit shrugged. 

“But you’re here,” Yuuri argued and Phichit rolled his eyes. 

“Oh no, I suddenly have to go home and tend to my children.” Phichit cried out. He stood and staggered melodramatically. 

“Phichit your hamsters are fine,” Yuuri rolled his eyes.

“Untrue. They get lonely when I’m not there.” Phichit deadpanned. He grabbed his skateboard and stood. Tossing a quick wink to his best friend, Yuuri was left staring at where the dark-skinned boy once stood. He only heard Phichit stop momentarily by the door in the living room for his shoes before it slammed shut. Well...it was now or never.

Yuuri tossed on his Thrasher hoodie and scribbled his mother a hasty note on where he would be as he tried to tie his shoes. He wasn’t exactly the best multitasker. Nevertheless, he managed and grabbed his board and house keys. He locked his front door as he stumbled out and raced down the stairs of his apartment complex, slamming his board on the ground and kicking off, headed to Viktor’s house. The route was familiar and his feet turned onto auto-pilot as his thoughts ran free. What was he going to do? What was he even going to say? Well, he wasn’t certain. In fact, he had no idea. But he had to try. He had to try anything and everything. He needed to make it up to Viktor and this felt right.

__________

Viktor was mulling around. After the disaster that was his and Yuuri’s Friday night date (It was a date in his head, okay?) he had nothing to do. He was still slightly bitter and upset that Yuuri had chosen that stupid Stephane over him, but what could he do? Not much besides make himself a breakfast smoothie, curl up in the living room and watch Disney princess movies. At least they got happy endings. He woke up well after his dad left for work and the house felt empty. Typical.

He was on his fifth movie, Mulan, when a loud, sudden banging on his door made him jump out of his skin. He cursed loudly in Russian and paused his movie. He unwound himself from his blanket ball and trudged over to the door. If it was his stupid cousin Yurio, he might slam the door on his face. His family was only allowed to bug his weekend self-pity dates for Sunday dinners.

“I’m coming, сука блять!” Viktor shouted towards his close door. He reluctantly undid the door’s chain lock. He opened the door, fully expecting to see his unruly younger cousin standing there and perhaps ready to kick him too.

What he was not expecting was a flushed Yuuri Katsuki, panting and looking as if he wanted to cry. They both stared at each other with wide eyes. Then, Yuuri stumbled forward and captured Viktor into a bone-crushing hug, one Viktor reciprocated. 

“Oh my god I called you сука блять,” Viktor laughed to himself. He stopped when he noticed Yuuri's distress.

“I’m sorry,” Yuuri mumbled into Viktor’s shirt and gripped the fabric in his fists. “I’m so stupid and you have every right to be mad at me and-”

“Hey, hey, with,” Viktor stopped him and pulled him inside, board and all. He closed the door and waited for Yuuri to slip off his shoes and put them neatly in front of the door before he lead Yuuri to the couch. The princess movie and his self-pity were long forgotten now. Yuuri was all that mattered to him. “Let’s stop with the self-deprecating speech, yeah?” 

“You were jealous of Stephane.” Yuuri blurted.

“Well jeez. Hit me with a shovel. It hurts less.” Viktor joked and grabbed Yuuri’s arms. He gazed into Yuuri’s eyes and found himself getting lost in their color. God, they were so beautiful.

“I should have known, I’m so sorry,” Yuuri said, much quieter this time and he took Viktor’s hand into his own. A shock wave ran up Viktor’s arm and throughout his body. 

Viktor shook his head. “I have no right to be jealous. Don’t blame yourself.”

Yuuri sighed and squeezed Viktor’s hand tighter. “I-I’ll try my best to be a better person. I promise.”

“Hey,” Viktor said as he sat closer to Yuuri and gripped his chin with his thumb and forefinger, “To me, you’re amazing the way you are.”

Yuuri gaped up at Viktor and their proximity before he slowly shook his head, “There’s a lot I’d like to change and that I will change. It’s a matter of time.” 

Viktor nodded, “As long as you’re still you.”

“Me, but better. Like a Yuuri 2.0,” he laughed softly. Viktor’s heart fluttered. Oh, how he missed that laugh…

“Well since you’re here, you’re watching Disney movies with me. No ifs, and's or buts.” Viktor huffed and leaned nestled back down against the couch cushions. Yuuri followed, leaned against him and drew his feet underneath him. He relaxed his head on Viktor’s shoulder and burrowed closer when Viktor wrapped an arm around his shoulders. With his free hand, Viktor pressed play on the remote. Mulan went on with her epic 80s synthesizer montage, cutting her hair and stealing her father’s armor. 

Meanwhile, Viktor silently cheered. This was the closest he and Yuuri had been since he had first invited him over several weeks ago. He also had his Yuuri back from the clutches of that evil, evil Stephane. And he knew that somehow, he would confess his love to Yuuri. And soon. He just had to choose the best of his 72 situations. But he would make sure it was the best damn thing Yuuri has ever had.

__________

Monday in Government was not half as bad. Stephane didn’t sit as close to Yuuri as he did the last couple of days and his project was coming along fine. It turns out the Dead Kennedy’s had many useful songs when it came to politics. Go figure. Viktor and Emily put together a nice little powerpoint presentation on their policy project.

“I looked you up online,” Emily said and Viktor’s blood ran cold. Jesus did he forget how scary this girl was. 

“Okay,” Viktor tried to say as disconnected as possible.

“I found out interesting stuff. Like how you’re the son of a world-famous recording engineer and award-winning composer. You don’t brag about it much though,” Emily eye-balled him.

“And why exactly did you look me up?” Viktor bit.

“Well because you piqued my interest. You brought up a punk band but you’re obviously not punk. I mean, you were floral cardigans and cashmere sweaters. And I knew something was up if you were some kind of musical genius but not touring the world. So,” Emily shrugged, “Out came Dmitry Koylakov Nikiforov, recording engineer for Sunset Records.”

“Creepy,” Viktor mumbled. He also was thankful she didn't mention how one found find an obiturary if they looked up Lyudmila Nikiforov. 

“Speaking of which, I also noticed something else while on my research.” Emily pulled out her cell phone and held up the screen for Viktor to see. It was an article on a music website.

“Your dad’s company is renting out an amusement park to celebrate the success of a band’s record dropping and-” Emily said matter-of-factly before Viktor cut her off. 

“As much as I’d love to, I can’t get you in. I only have one extra ticket and I don’t know who my dad is going to make me use it on.” Viktor explained, actually feeling guilty.

“Oh no, I don’t care for that. Take Yuuri or something. I was just going to say if your dad has enough money to rent out an entire amusement part, pay me for all my work on this project, seeing as you’ve done not as much as me.” Emily deadpanned.

Viktor nodded, “Right. Okay.” He turned his head and his gaze instantly fell on Yuuri. He and Stephane were working on their computer, probably arranging their powerpoint. Viktor absently daydreamed about Emily’s words and thought about how nice it would be to take Yuuri on a date to the amusement park. Holding hands, sharing aesthetic food and riding on all the romantic rides together-

“That’s it!” Viktor grinned, slamming his fist on his palm. “Emily, you’re a genius!”

“I know, I’m salutatorian.” She huffed, clearly not satisfied with her rank.

“Uhm...right.” He laughed awkwardly. Yet the excitement in his heart couldn’t be quelled. He was prepared to woo the shoes off of Yuuri and finally make that gorgeous Japanese boy his. 

‘ _Yuuri,_ ” Viktor thought, ‘ _I hope you know what you’ve got coming._ ’


End file.
